What's also unclear is how long it would take Suggs to regain his trademark form as one of the most feared pass rushers in the game.

"Absolutely, middle to end of October," Suggs wrote in a text message shortly after word broke of his injury. "Definitely beginning of November. I love how you guys are saying out for the season, just gonna make my comeback that much bigger."

"Terrell had a successful surgical procedure done on his Achilles tendon this afternoon by Dr. Bob Anderson," Newsome said. "After some recovery time, ‘Sizzle' will begin the process of rehabbing the area. We know he will work hard to get back on the field with his teammates as soon as the doctors and trainers allow. We're confident that he can make a full recovery."

Suggs injured his Achilles in a conditioning drill during the final day of the NFL Draft. If it was a total tear, he'd project to be out for the next eight months to a year and would definitely miss the entire season. However, a partial tear could allow Suggs to return by the middle to later portion of the season.

The Ravens are expected to line up second-round outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw at Suggs' vacated rush linebacker spot and have Paul Kruger take over at strongside linebacker, Jarret Johnson's former position.

Upshaw is an All-American selection from Alabama who recorded 9 1/2 sacks last season.

It will be hard to replace Suggs, who registered a career-high 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles last season.

Suggs recorded 70 tackles, a career-high 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles last season with a trio of three-sack games. Suggs is the Ravens' all-time leader with 82 1/2 sacks and 29 forced fumbles.

Suggs has missed just three games in nine seasons for the Ravens since being drafted in the first round out of Arizona State with the 10th overall pick.

In six of his nine NFL seasons, Suggs has started every game. He was a vital force in the Ravens reaching the AFC championship game in two of the past four seasons.

The NFL's third-ranked defense from a year ago is hoping to maintain a high standard of play even with Suggs sidelined for at least a major portion of the season.

"The Terrell Suggs incident is very unfortunate," Ravens cornerback Cary Williams said. "I hope he gets well soon. I hate to be cliché, but it's the next man up. We can't sit and dwell on the issue with T-Sizzle. We've got to push forward. Everybody has to step up. I feel like one player doesn't make the team. He was Defensive Player of the Year, a key cornerstone for the defense.

"We'll miss him, but we have guys in place that can make an impact on the field as well. It won't be the same production from the younger guys, honestly. We'll keep pressing forward. We have lost guys to injuries before. Ray Lewis was out last year for a period of time and guys stepped up. We've got a lot of players in our locker room like that."

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